Besides being named to the deBeer Fab 40 All-Star Game in the 2014/15 division, Goettelman said she learned a lot about playing lacrosse on the East Coast.

“It was actually so much better than I expected,” she said of the event that drew nearly 200 girls in all classes, with 36 college coaches on hand. “It was so much fun and all the girls were so nice.

“Everyone was good. I learned I probably need to be a little bit more aggressive on groundballs and at the draw circle.”

Are their differences between the play in the Denver area and here at the Showcase?

“I would say the work ethic out here is a lot higher,” said Goettelman, who was prearing to join her club team to compete in Sunday’s Rivalry Challenge at Annapolis, Md. “Everyone wants it so bad and everyone wants to get recruited. That’s the difference.”

Garnet Valley sophomore attack Sabrina Fusco, who also made the Fab 40 Game, said it was helpful to be forced to play with new teammates.

“It’s fun to play with players you didn’t know,” she said. “You had to work on communication with the new players.”

These Fab 40 All-Star selections also commented on the event:

Haley Warden, Garnet Valley, sophomore attack
What expectations did you have coming into the event and did you feel your expectations were met?

Warden: “My expectations were to come out and play lacrosse and to get some visibility with coaches at schools where I might be interested in playing lacrosse. It was also a great to play with some really talented girls from all over the country.”
What was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome the challenge?

Warden: “The biggest challenge is playing with people that you don’t know. It is hard at first to play with all the different styles; on my club and school team I know all my teammates strengths and weaknesses. Here I had to learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses within a game or two. I was really impressed with everyone’s skills and how everyone just ended up doing what they were supposed to do on the field.”

What do you feel you learned from the event about playing/recruiting that you can take with you to the HS season?

“I learned that you need to come out confident. You need to be confident with your skills because if you think about all the college coaches there it’s just going to mess you up. You need to focus on what is important and do that. In order to be confident we need to be prepared before a game, this needs to be the focus going into the high school season.

“From the recruiting standpoint I learned that we all have just contact the college coaches where we are interested in being student athletes. Then we need to just go out and play and the rest will work itself out.”

Dana Siepietowski, Boyertown, sophomore defender

What expectations did you have coming into the event and did you feel your expectations were met?

Siepietowski: “I had to lot of expectations coming into the Philly Showcase. I knew I was going to be up against a lot of diverse talent and it wasn’t going to be easy to stand out. However, I’m a very competitive athlete so making the Fab 40 team was definitely my goal for the day.

“Having all this talent surrounding me, I really pushed myself to go above and over what I knew coaches would be looking for. I feel that since I reached my goal of making the Fab 40 and knowing I stood out as a player, my expectations were definitely met.”

What was the biggest challenge you faced and how did you overcome the challenge?

Siepietowski:“I’d say the biggest challenge in the event would be getting to know your team and coach quickly. Not only their names but also their strengths and weaknesses to help you ‘jelled’ together as a team. I was lucky, my team actually became really close and jelled by our first game. Some other teams, however, didn’t seem as lucky.”
What do you feel you learned from the event about playing/recruiting that you can take with you to the HS season?

Siepietowski: “There were so many things that I learned and picked up from this event. The skills clinic really helped answer some questions that have been in the back of my mind since I started playing. Also, being on a team with girls from 2012-2015, I was able to pick up a few new tricks and tips that really upped my game.

“When it comes down to recruiting, I now can see all the competition I’m going to be facing my next few years. So, being exposed how I was at the Showcase was a great experience and seemed to give my the upper hand when it comes to recruiting.”